Al-Ismāʿīliyyah Canal

canal, Egypt

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Last updated

June 29, 2026

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The Al-Ismāʿīliyyah Canal is a vital waterway in northeastern Egypt, running east-west through the governorate of Al-Ismāʿīliyyah. Built between 1858 and 1863, its primary purpose was to supply fresh water to workers constructing the Suez Canal.1

This canal, formerly known as the Sweet Water Canal, has a branch that runs south along the Suez Canal to the city of Suez. The main section of the Al-Ismāʿīliyyah Canal supports extensive irrigation, enabling the production of crops in an otherwise desert region. The area also engages in cattle raising and fish farming. Ancient ruins near Ismailia suggest the canal follows the path of an even older waterway dating back to the pharaohs.1

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Suez Canal
Construction
…of a small canal (the Al-Ismāʾīliyyah) from the delta along the Wadi Tumelat, with a southern branch (now called the Al-Suways al-Ḥulwah Canal; the two canals combined were formerly called the Sweet Water Canal) to Suez and a northern one (Al-ʿAbbāsiyyah Canal) to Port Said. This supplied drinking water in…
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…of a small canal (the Al-Ismāʾīliyyah) from the delta along the Wadi Tumelat, with a southern branch (now called the Al-Suways al-Ḥulwah Canal; the two canals combined were formerly called the Sweet Water Canal) to Suez and a northern one (Al-ʿAbbāsiyyah Canal) to Port Said. This supplied drinking water in…
Read More